Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2017 Normal Police Department Also in this issue Social Media 2 Scam Alerts (Romance) 2 Trail Rules 2 Burglary Stats 3 Lip Sync Battle 4 Burglary Prevention Tips (It is SUMMER TIME) What Neighborhood Watch is: Neighborhood Watch is a crime pre- venon program that enlists the acve parcipaon of residents, in coopera- on with law enforcement, to reduce crime, solve problems, and improve the quality of life in your area. What Neighborhood Watch is not: It is not a program designed for parci- pants to undertake personal risks to deter crime. Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It's the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it's free. In March of 2017 the Today Show interviewed Nicholas Kyriazis. Kyriazis estimates he has burglarized at least 100 homes, but maybe 150 homes. He is serving a 70 year prison sentence. He provided the following tips: Have a neighbor collect your mail/watch your house. Most of us still receive “snail-mail” and if it piles up it is a signal to thieves. Neighbors watching your address falls directly in line with Neighborhood Watch and Nextdoor.com Thieves most often strike in the morning hours, 8am to 2pm. A survey by WNBC in New York showed over 50% of the convicted burglars said their jobs were done in the morning. Do NOT assume an alarm system will protect you. “Alarm systems alerts me that people are NOT home when it is turned on.” Kyriazis said. Do NOT assume a home security camera will protect you. “If people have money for security cameras, they have something worth protecting.” LOCK YOUR DOORS WHEN YOU LEAVE!!! Most burglars do not carry burglary tools because doors or windows are left unlocked. Dogs are a good deterrent. Never engage a burglar. Thieves and experts agree that if you come upon a burglary in progress, leave, find a safe place, and call 911. I will interject in regards to Home security cameras. I have the “Ring” doorbell on my house and I love it. I would strongly recommend it to everyone, just as I would recommend Nextdoor.com. Tornado Safety Tips (from NOAA) 1. Seek shelter in a sturdy building, or a pre-designated shelter. Go to the lowest level of the building, preferably in a basement, and get under a heavy desk or workbench or sit next to the wall and cover your head with your arms/hands. 2. If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room/hallway – put as many walls between you and the outside of the building, and stay away from windows. Other possibilities: get into a bathtub or under a bed or sofa. 3. Get out of vehicles do not try to outrun a tornado. 4. If caught outside – lie flat on the ground and cover your head with your hands. 5. Be aware of flying debris – most deaths and injuries are caused by flying debris. 6. Manufactured homes (mobile trailers) offer little protection, even if tied down. Leave these for a sturdy shelter before the storm approaches. 7. Do not seek shelter under a highway overpass. Wind blow stronger under the overpass due to the wind-tunnel effect. 8. Don’t waste time opening windows and doors to equalize air pressure differences 9. Remember – the tornado can occur before there is a visible funnel cloud. 10. No place is totally safe from tornadoes (except for a safe room) – if weather conditions come together properly, the tornado will go over or through mountains, lakes, rivers, swamps, marshes, bogs, and through downtown areas that have 1000 foot skyscrapers!
Transcript
Quarterly Newsletter Summer 2017
Normal Police Department
Also in this issue
Social Media 2
Scam Alerts
(Romance) 2
Trail Rules 2
Burglary Stats 3
Lip Sync Battle 4
Burglary Prevention Tips (It is SUMMER TIME)
What Neighborhood Watch is:
Neighborhood Watch is a crime pre-vention program that enlists the active participation of residents, in coopera-tion with law enforcement, to reduce crime, solve problems, and improve the quality of life in your area.
What Neighborhood Watch is not:
It is not a program designed for partici-pants to undertake personal risks to deter crime.
Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It's the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it's free.
In March of 2017 the Today Show interviewed Nicholas Kyriazis. Kyriazis estimates he has burglarized at least 100 homes, but maybe 150 homes. He is serving a 70 year prison sentence. He provided the following tips:
Have a neighbor collect your mail/watch your house. Most of us still
receive “snail-mail” and if it piles up it is a signal to thieves. Neighbors watching your address falls directly in line with Neighborhood Watch and Nextdoor.com
Thieves most often strike in the morning hours, 8am to 2pm. A survey by WNBC in New York showed over 50% of the convicted burglars said their jobs were done in the morning.
Do NOT assume an alarm system will protect you. “Alarm systems alerts me that people are NOT home when it is turned on.” Kyriazis said.
Do NOT assume a home security camera will protect you. “If people have
money for security cameras, they have something worth protecting.”
LOCK YOUR DOORS WHEN YOU LEAVE!!! Most burglars do not carry burglary tools because doors or windows are left unlocked.
Dogs are a good deterrent.
Never engage a burglar. Thieves and experts agree that if you come upon
a burglary in progress, leave, find a safe place, and call 911. I will interject in regards to Home security cameras. I have the “Ring” doorbell on my house and I love it. I would strongly recommend it to everyone, just as I would recommend Nextdoor.com.
Tornado Safety Tips (from NOAA)
1. Seek shelter in a sturdy building, or a pre-designated shelter. Go to the lowest level of the building, preferably in a basement, and get under a heavy desk or workbench or sit next to the wall and cover your head with your arms/hands.
2. If an underground shelter is not available, move to an interior room/hallway – put as many walls between you and the outside of the building, and stay away from windows. Other possibilities: get into a bathtub or under a bed or sofa.
3. Get out of vehicles do not try to outrun a tornado. 4. If caught outside – lie flat on the ground and cover your head with your hands. 5. Be aware of flying debris – most deaths and injuries are caused by flying debris. 6. Manufactured homes (mobile trailers) offer little protection, even if tied down.
Leave these for a sturdy shelter before the storm approaches. 7. Do not seek shelter under a highway overpass. Wind blow stronger under the
overpass due to the wind-tunnel effect. 8. Don’t waste time opening windows and doors to equalize air pressure differences 9. Remember – the tornado can occur before there is a visible funnel cloud. 10. No place is totally safe from tornadoes (except for a safe room) – if weather
conditions come together properly, the tornado will go over or through mountains, lakes, rivers, swamps, marshes, bogs, and through downtown areas that have 1000 foot skyscrapers!
A victim involved in this edition’s scam came to talk to me last week about what happened to her over the course of a couple of months. This scam tugs at your heart strings. It is the “Romance Scam”. This scam involves the victim becoming very interested in a “suitor”. The suitor is actually the scammer. Once the suitor makes you believe you are their exclusive romantic interest, they start asking for money. The following comes from www.romancescams.org: “Scams are BIG business. Run just like any "for profit" organi-zation, there is a hierarchy and an organiza-tional structure: the peons, the managers, the big bosses. Internet cafes are shut down to normal business so scammers can do "their jobs". Home computers are a rare commodity. Most households in West Africa and other third world countries cannot afford them nor can they afford the cost of a monthly connection. Be-cause of the easy money made from victims, scammers are well-to-do respected business men/women who quit their "normal" day jobs.” If you believe you are a victim of a “Romance Scam”, please call the Normal Police Depart-ment’s non-emergency number. Please understand, we will do what we can with the scam, but there is little probability of solving this case. Most scams originate in West Africa and do NOT involve “real” people. It is easiest to not friend these suspects in the first place.
Please follow all of NPD’s social media outlets. We have several social media outlets and you can keep up-to-date with everything going on within the Normal Police Department.
I remind you of how useful Nextdoor.com can be. Your neighborhood Nextdoor.com can provide you immedi-ate information regarding suspicious behavior in your neighborhood or where a good deal can be found.
NPD Social Media
SEC. 23.3-51 MOTOR VEHICLES PROHIBITED ON CONSTITUTION TRAIL: A. No per-
son shall operate a motor vehicle on the Constitution Trail in the Town of Normal. (Amended 5/5/97 by Ord. No. 4449) B. This prohibition shall not apply to persons operating emergency vehicles and to employees of the Town who are using motor vehicles to perform routine maintenance on the property.
Normal Residential Burglaries April 1st to June 30th, 2017
*Please note: Of the 5 burglaries represented here, 4 residences were entered by way of an unlocked door, win-dow, or open garage/garage door. The loss value represents the total dollar amount of damage caused add-ed to the total dollar amount of stolen items as reported by the victims.
There were also 36 vehicle burglaries reported in Normal between April 1st, 2017 to June 30th 2017.
There were 17 residential burglaries reported in the Town of Normal from April 1st to June 30th, 2017. The fol-lowing list includes burglaries of private residences organized by date. Burglaries from most apartment com-plexes, especially in the Illinois State University campus area, are not included in this information.
There are several ways to contact the Normal Police Department, depending on what type of situation or question you may have. The following is a guide to help you choose the correct contact number.
In case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.
If you require non-emergency police assistance with-
in the Town of Normal, please use the non-emergency dispatch number - 309/888-5030.
If you have a question that requires an immediate an-
swer, the Normal Police Department front desk can be reached 24 hours-a-day at 309/454-9535.
Which number do I call?
Normal Police Department
100 E. Phoenix Ave.
Normal, IL 61761
Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency: 309/888.5030
Front Desk: 309/454.9535
“Committed to Service Excellence”
This Neighborhood Watch Newsletter is compiled and distributed quarterly by the Normal Police Department Community Services Unit.
If you have concerns about problems in your neighborhood or ideas for this newsletter, please contact: Officer Greg Leipold▪ 309/433.3440 ▪ [email protected]
On Thursday August 10th the Second Annual Lip Sync Battle for Special Olympics will occur at the Mackinaw Winery. Ten acts will perform to see who has the best costumes, song and performance. Please come out and show support for the local celebrities and the Special Olympic Athletes. The festivities start at 7pm, doors open at 6pm.
